The Traitor
book 1 of Traitor prologue - the traitor “Bring her in to testify.” This is the voice of a cold-hearted she-cat. Her name is Shadow, and she can kill faster then you can say ‘please don’t kill me’. She is pure black, with green eyes that appear to stare into your soul. “She hasn’t done any wrong.” This is Hail, a black and white splotched tom who is so high-ranked he can stand up to Shadow, the leader. “Look at me and tell me that is true.” Shadow demands. Silence. “She deserves to die for her crimes. She tried to stop us, and to steal prey and information. Bring her in, Sand.” Hail’s sister, Sand, nods, and brings the she-cat in. Her eyes are alight with terror, and her pale brown coat is fluffed up. There is a pink collar around her neck, reading Samantha in black letters. “Please- no- please, don’t kill me, it was the Clans, they said they’d kill me if I didn’t help them, and they killed my father..” Samantha pleads, beginning to sob. Shadow looks at me, and I can see she senses an ally. “We never intended on killing you,” Shadow lies smoothly, “That sort of brutality is what the Clans do.” Samantha’s shock reflects in Shadow’s eyes. “Now, how did it feel when they killed your father?” “What?” “How did it feel?” Samantha shifts her position, looking uncomfortable. “Terrible. Like they had not only ripped away a bit of my soul, but could bend it and shape it to their will.” “Do you want revenge?” Samantha is silent. But now, there is a mad gleam in her eyes that wasn’t there before. Shadow has that affect on cats. “Yes. I want them to feel my pain.” “Good. Sand, introduce her to all the toms- we need more kits.” For a moment, Samantha looks horrified, realizing what she’s committed to doing, but now realizes there’s no going back. “Can I go with them?” I ask, and Shadow looks up at me. She trusts me. It’s a strange thing. “If you want.” She replies, and I walk out of the den door to catch up with them. “So.. Um, what do I do?” Samantha asks Sand as I walk up to her. Sand looks over and smirks at me. She has always found this process amusing. “Find a tom you like.” Sand says airily, “Or just pick a random one. Whichever mouse you choose.” Samanatha looks confused, so hastily, Sand adds, “That’s just an expression I made up.” “Who were the cats back in there?” Samantha asks. She still hasn’t noticed me – hopefully she’ll be a good mother, her senses are terrible. I double back to Shadow’s den before she answers. “Hail!” I call, stifling a laugh. “What?” Hail asks, walking over to me, as Shadow watches disapprovingly. In the end, we all act like immature kits outside of our work. “The kittypet likes you,” I whisper, bursting out laughing at Hail’s expression, a mix of horror, shock, and revulsion. “Urgh! No! Go away, go follow them!” Hail orders, even though we’re ranked the same. “Alright, fine.” I say, laughing and walking over to Sand. “And that’s Wes and North, they’re brothers. They’re both scouts – see, they’re going off to check the borders.. Over there’s Flash- oh, hey! What were you doing with Hail?” Sand asks, turning around to look at me. Samantha looks bewildered. “Nothing. I had to tell her something,” I brush her question off lightly, and turn to Samantha, “Found anyone yet?” I meant for it to sound kind, but judging by the look on her face it sounded plain amused. “She doesn’t like you,” Sand pointed out with a smirk, and I laugh. “She won’t talk to you – I think you scare her.” “Nooo. Don’t be scared of me, I’m just a vicious little killer!” Samantha seems to shrink, trotting backwards a few steps. “Anyways, you’ll have no trouble winning over a tom.” Samantha looks at me, shocked, but before anything happens, Sand seems to sense something. She loses her playful manner, and looks at Samantha harshly. “You should get inside of the Mother’s Den. They’ll show you around, it’s over there.” Samantha seems to falter, but Sand adds, “Now!” Wes, North, Leaf, and Sayla come storming back into the camp, yelling loudly over each other. Sand and I run over to see what’s happening, as we are ranked right below the leader. “Leaf, what’s going on?” I ask. Leaf is the highest-ranked in the group. “Clan cats. They’re moving closer and closer. We need to drive them out, like they did to us!” Leaf hisses. Shadow comes out of the den, and Sand reports what’s happening. Shadow looks at me. “Get back there. Now. Disguise your scent, get back to the Clans!” Shadow orders. I know what I must do. My job. Spying on the Clans. chapter one - hollypool My name is Hollypool, and rogues are invading my home. There is a spy in my Clan, and that the rogues will know our every move if our leader tells the Clan our plans. Even if we’re just about to attack, the rogues are there. My Clan, BranchClan(known for their climbing skills), is falling apart. The leader, Willowstar, has one life. The rogues are going to kill her, no matter what it takes. It’s just- all so dark, and depressing. There’s death at every corner. Life just isn’t fun anymore. We trudge through our duties, capturing spies and fighting rogues. We wonder when it will all be over, when we are free to have lives again. From the way things are looking, never. I don’t want to fight anymore. I don’t want to lose any more cats – never mind that, I can’t lose anymore cats. I think I’ll have to quit. Run away. Never have to face these problems again. If I’m just going to lose everyone I love, what’s the point of living? I only live for the cats I love and the ones I’m loyal to. If I lose my Clan, I lose my purpose. I can’t sleep anymore, which is why I’m laying in my nest, having these thoughts. I need to get out, to be free. I walk out of my den, slowly heading towards the forest. I see my best friend, Mistybird, ears pricked for sign of the enemy. “Oh, hi, Hollypool! What are you doing?” she calls cheerfully, while I wonder how she maintains that attitude. “Walking. Maybe hunting.” I reply dryly, turning away. “Say hi to Flightleaf and Dustfire for me if you get captured!” Mistybird jokes. Flightleaf is my brother, and Dustfire... I turn around, snarling. “It’s not funny! You, of all cats, should know that!” I say with a growl, and for a fleeting moment Mistybird’s face hardens and she looks desperately sad. “Of course it’s not funny, but what do you want me to do, cry?” I trudge out of the camp, cursing Mistybird and her happiness, Flightleaf and his curiosity. The rogues, and their stupid need to interfere. I hate it all. I end up sitting next to the stream, thinking about when we were apprentices and we could do anything we wanted. And how we thought it would never end, the peace, and the bliss. The silence of the night brings tears to my eyes, and I just don’t know why. I think about how with Mistybird, Flightleaf, Birchleap, Icysong (who’s dead) and Mintwhisker, we could do anything. We had the world. The tears are flowing. And I hate it even more. I’m cursing myself for being so overemotional, and that just makes me cry harder. But I know what I need to do. Well, no. I don’t. Nobody ever really does. I could rescue Flightleaf. I think I would fail doing that, though. I could go out there and run, away from the rogues. Away from the chaos. Or I could end it. I think I’m going to end it. Rash impulses run through my head, but I can’t do it without saying goodbye. I’ll be free, where I’m going. My spirits are lightened as I know it will be over soon, that I won’t have to deal with this war. I don’t know where I’ll be going, there’s no StarClan any more. I tread back into my den, and I shake Mintwhisker and Birchleap awake. “Whassgoingon?” Birchleap slurs, eyes not even open. Mintwhisker’s breathing slows, and she eyes me suspiciously. “Goodbye.” I say, and Mintwhisker shakes her head. “Hollypool, we’ve been though this before, so many times. We aren’t letting you drown yourself, or whatever horrible plan you have this time. This will be over soon, and you’ll get through it alive.” “What she said.” Birchleap mumbles, and is snoring before Mintwhisker can even reprimand him. “But I can just end it, be free, to wherever dead cats go now that StarClan is gone.” “StarClan isn’t gone, just faded." “StarClan would never let this happen, Mintwhisker. They would stop it. I’m taking control of my destiny, I’m going to end this.” I explain, feeling miserable again already. “Don’t you see, Hollypool? You’re one of the fiercest fighters in the Clan, because you have something to fight for – Flightleaf and Dustfire! Killing yourself won’t end anything but your life! It will make everything worse! We’ll be down a fighter, a friend…” Mintwhisker breaks off, probably thinking of Icysong. “Remember what your mother used to say? ‘It’s who we are. It doesn't matter if we've gone too far. It doesn't matter if it's all okay. It doesn’t matter if it's not our day. It's all uphill from here.’” “My mother is dead. Words don’t help us in the war.” I say, my voice filled with bitterness . “Just- just wait until tomorrow. Tomorrow it will be better.” Mintwhisker says, looking down. She settles back into her nest. “Please listen to me, Hollypool. This isn’t a joke.” I listen to Mintwhisker, and it takes a lot of will to do that. I settle down in my nest, and eventually, sleep sweeps me away. “It’s awfully cold out here.” It’s him, oh, he’s so much younger, but it’s so clearly him. “Dustpaw, we’re apprentices! You don’t need to talk like you’re a genius!” It’s me. Yet – it’s not. I’m talking, but it’s a younger me, and it’s not me, I’m not controlling what I say. “Hollypaw, you don’t like any way I talk. When I try to talk normally, you tell me I’m speaking too stupidly and I should at least act like I’m intelligent,” Dustpaw says, amused. “You bother to memorize it?” I tease, seeing my smile reflected in his amber eyes. “You say it almost every day.” He says with a smile, and for the first time in a very long time, even though it is just a memory, I feel purely happy. “Whatever, you little piece of mouse-dung.” I retort, unable to think of a good comeback. “You have the brain of a worm,” he replies, and we both laugh. “But really, it is cold out. I’m going back in.” My smile fades, along with the memory. Now we’re older, training with Icypaw, Darkpaw, Mistypaw, Birchpaw, Mintpaw, and Flightpaw. We’re all about to take our assessments, and squeezing in some last minute training. '' ''“Alright, we’re doing a fighting tournament. First, Icypaw against Darkpaw. Second, Mintpaw against Dustpaw. Third, Birchpaw against Hollypaw. Fourth, Flightpaw against Mistypaw. If you lose in the first round after only fighting thirty seconds, your assessments are held back a quarter-moon. Icypaw, Darkpaw, go.” Sparrowfeather says, and everyone looks around, sizing up their opponents, and Icypaw and Darkpaw brace themselves. Darkpaw, who is much larger and stronger, tackles and pins the she-cat easily. Sparrowfeather looks at her disapprovingly. “Another quarter-moon of training for you, Icypaw.” Icypaw groans, but can’t even bring herself to snap at Darkpaw, she has so much of a crush on him. “Dustpaw, Mintpaw, go.” Mintpaw clearly knows she won’t win, but she is quick enough to make the fight go on. Dustpaw lunges at her, and she skirts away, as he falls into the dirt. Mintpaw leaps on his back, and he rolls over quickly, and Mintpaw lets out a squeak and goes limp. Dustpaw, afraid of hurting her, quickly jumps off, and Mintpaw is back on her paws within seconds. Dustpaw fakes left, and bowls into Mintpaw from the right, where he holds her down. Dustpaw smiles brightly at me, and I have a weird fluttering thing in my rib cage. “Birchpaw, Hollypaw, go!” Birchpaw is one of the weaker fights, and I know if I can tackle him he’s not going to be able to get back up. He stands there, waiting for me to make the first move. Moons of training jump out at me, and I pick what I think is the best advice. ‘Go for the legs and knock your opponent over!” I jump up, and Birchpaw crouches down and slinks sideways. When I land, I grab his swiping paws in my mouth, where he screams and while thrashing around, loses his balance and falls. He gets up, and begrudgingly nods at my victory. I triumphantly bound over to sit by Dustpaw. “Lovebirds,” mopes Icypaw, needing someone to pick on in her shame. “Like you can talk,” I growl, “The only cat you have eyes for is Darkpaw.” Dustpaw and Darkpaw both blush and look down at their paws. Mistypaw and Flightpaw keep fighting for around ten minutes, until Sparrowfeather steps in. “That’s a tie,” she declares, “So both of you are eliminated. Hollypaw automatically moves on.” '' ''“What? No fair! I would’ve won if Mistypaw hadn’t kicked dust in my face!” Flightpaw protested indignantly, “Mistypaw ch-” "I WAS WINNING!” Mistypaw yelled. “I should move on!” “Whatever,” Sparrowfeather says. “Dustpaw, Darkpaw, begin.” Dustpaw and Darkpaw immediately charge at each other, and after a few minutes of scuffling Dustpaw collapses on top of Darkpaw. '' ''“Alright. Dustpaw against Hollypaw. The victor gets the day before the assessments off to rest, prepare, or do whatever you want.” My mind blurs, and from then on all I can remember is me, sitting on Dustpaw. '' ''“Hollypaw wins!” Sparrowfeather declares, and I feel a rush of pride. “Good job,” Dustpaw says gruffly. He hates losing. “Oh, lighten up,” I say, “We’ll all be warriors soon.” “Whatever.” The scene changes, yet again. We’re all standing below Willowstar on the Clan Tree, and everyone else is chanting. “Dustfire! Hollypool! Mistybird! Flightleaf! Mintwhisker! Birchleap! Darksun! Dustfire! Hollypool! Mistybird! Flightleaf! Mintwhisker! Birchleap! Darksun!” And again, it changes. I’m chatting with Mistybird, Darksun runs into the clearing, scratches all over himself. “Flightleaf. Dustfire. Captured.” He pants, and then runs to Willowstar’s den. I collaspe, right in the middle of camp, sobbing. Two of the cats I love most – gone. And Dustfire… We were going to be mates, have kits.. For the last time, it changes. We’re rushing into battle, Willowstar’s instructions in our heads. ‘StarClan is gone. Now we fight to kill.’ And we do. I kill a brown tabby tom, in a snap, blinded by rage. I keep on going throughout the entire battle, but the rogues force us to retreat again. That night, the guilt of killing another being, a living, breathing cat, who’s death is probably destroying someone from the inside. ‘They took Flightleaf and Dustfire.’ I have to remind myself. ‘I’ve already felt that pain.’ But my mind replays it again, the tom laying there, broken, bloody, and bruised. I wake up and I know this war has to end. Chapter Two - Flightleaf My name is Flightleaf, and I am a prisoner of war. Day, after day, after day. Walking in circles, trying to escape. Two burly rogues sit in front of my prison every single day. Today there is three. You may think this means nothing, but Shadow, the leader of these rogues, is so precise and she will not go without order. …And after sitting in a tiny little cave for days on end you pick up every little change. It’s strange. I can sense something in the air, something from the rogues. It smells like victory. I’m instantly worried. What if they’ve won a battle, captured more cats? But.. Being in here for so long (a half-moon) some little creature in my insides yells at me. They’ve abandoned you! Left you to rot! Why should you care? For once, my own mind leaves me speechless. It's... astonishing how quickly the mind senses a betrayal. Truly, it's very hard to fully accept that your clan--your family has betrayed you, but I can't help feeling the stirrings of it. If you can't tell, I consider myself smart. But my suspicions are confirmed, and change is coming. First, I hear her screams. "NO! YOU CAN'T TAKE ME! I HAVE POWERFUL FRIENDS, I SWEAR IT! YOU CAN'T TAKE MEEEE!" I realized today would be a very long day. --- Most days of my life are dark, and depressing - all I can do is sleep, to make the pain and the hopelessness go away. Not today, and probably not for a very long while. The rogue drags the she-cat in, holding the scruff of her neck, and she's thrashing around violently. She hasn't noticed me yet, her eyes are focused on her captor's paws, and she attempts to bite him. The cat tightens his hold on her scruff, and then she sees me. The shock holds her limp for a second, and she is thrown in here. The guards sit, blocking the very small entrance of the cave, letting only a little light in. The she-cat bounds up to them, scratching at their backs. One turns around, and shoves her back against a wall. "Stop trying," I advise dryly. My voice is hoarse from lack of use. "You can't get out." She stops her escape efforts to glare at me. "Little ray of sunshine, aren't you?" She says, her voice coated with sarcasm, but she stops, and promptly starts banging her head against a wall. "That's going to kill you," I warn, and she looks at me with sad eyes. "I know." "Wait, can we start over? You're confusing me." I say - and she is. Mood swings, hostile behavior... "If I'm going to die, I don't want your stupid voice to be the last thing I hear, so fine.“ "I'm Flightleaf," I say - this cat looks fairly dangerous, it would be a great thing to be on good terms. Plus, I actually get to do something for once(!). "I'm Samoa. But I want you to talk first, I think I'm bored already." For the first time, I actually analyze her. She has a creamish silvery pelt and yellow eyes, and she's staring at me intently. "Now." "Well.. I'm part of BranchClan, and we’re fighting Shadow’s group. My friends Dustfire, Darksun, and I were patrolling, mapping the area for our attack plans, when they came. They ambushed us from trees, had Dustfire and I knocked out as soon as they landed. Nearly on top of us, so I guess I should be glad I’m not dead. I guess Darksun escaped, I saw Dustfire, but not him. And I’ve been here for about a half-moon now.” “Boring,” Samoa says airily, “You didn’t even get a chance to fight? Mine was a bit more interesting. “I suppose I should start with my friends. It’s a group of eleven of us – it used to be more, but Red was killed and Pacific and Atlantic vanished about a quarter-moon ago. But they’re former kittypets, so that could have something to do with it. Right now, it’s me, Rook, Privet, Beetle, Juniper, Lavender, Kestrel, Lark, Rye, Yew, Apple, and Marigold. We… Don’t like the rogues, to put it nicely. We’re all either orphaned, we’ve lost friends, siblings, or the rogues managed to wreck our lives in some way. We were attacking today, we definitely killed a few, injured more. But they lost me.” She looks at the ground bitterly. “I bet at least one of them will get themselves killed trying to break me out. But I’d rather die than stay in here forever.” “I have a sister out there –- one who needs me, and I’ll hold on for her.” I say, my voice dropping to a whisper. She leans in close to me, and I can feel myself blushing. “Well, toughen up,” she whispers, and I lean back in surprise, “This is war.” Though I would never admit it to this crazy cat, I knew Hollypool could be dead. She got – gets emotional. But no matter how slim the odds are, I’ll take my chances. “Are you sure we can’t do anything?” Samoa asks, eyes darting around for any sort of escape. “I could attack while you got us out. We have two cats now.” “It won’t work. We need help from the outside.” Her mood changes yet again, as she sighs, dropping to the ground. “I don’t want someone to die for me,” she murmurs, sounding absolutely miserable. “That only means someone out there loves you.” “What does it matter if they’re dead?" “They gave you freedom, so you shouldn’t be wasting their sacrifice.” “That’s totally irrelevant.” “Well, you know what I mean.” “Not really.” It’s late. I’m trying to fight it, but I can feel sleep washing over me. And I let go. Chapter Three - Mintwhisker My name is Mintwhisker, and I am in agony. I know something. Something that should be exposed, that should be out there, that could give us an advantage, but I can’t do it because I am a coward, and I am afraid. As Birchleap put it best, ‘If you’re not scared, you’re some sort of psycho. That we’ll probably use to attack the rogues because you aren’t afraid of them.’ But it is very, very hard to give up your life in exchange for an advantage that might not even last. It’s not like I’m not troubled enough without this – Hollypool is constantly trying to run away or kill herself, and it’s starting to get annoying. I know that it’s very serious, but it’s really hard on those of us who are close to her. Some regard it as a joke. Mistybird put fire ants in their nests. I have to deal with the stress of lurking around the territory of the rogues. But oh no, we can never attack, because ‘we aren’t ready’ or ‘they’re too strong right now’. No, Willowstar is a coward, because they want to kill her. I suppose it’s not like I can talk. I, the coward. “Hey, Mintwhisker!” Birchleap calls from across the camp, startling me out of my thoughts. “Yeah?" “What’s this ‘super awesome amazing thing’ that you told Hollypool about?” “First of all, that’s not how I said it,” I reply, amused, as he pads over to me. “You’ll find out soon enough. Anyway, you were there!” “Come on,” he whines, “You know I can’t take suspense!” “It’s barely suspense.” I shoot back, trying to hold back a smile. “How do you know about it, anyways?” Birchleap complains, but I can see in his eyes he's not expecting much of an answer from me. “I have my ways.” I purr, and he drops the subject. I can eavesdrop well. “Well, I have gossip of my own,” he boasts, “Brooksong is expecting Smokeclaw’s kits.” “What? Those two? No way! Brooksong’s fawned on him for moons, he’s never shown anything!” I protest, and he breaks into giggles. “They-” he breaks off because he’s laughing so hard, which makes me laugh too- and I don’t even know what I’m laughing at! “They wanted to keep their relationship ‘private’!” He’s hysterical, rolling on the ground. “Birchleap. That’s not even funny!” But I can’t help it, I’m laughing too. Birchleap just makes you feel good like that. “Attention!” Willowstar yells, climbing onto the High-Tree, and Birchleap stifles his giggles. “We are going to attack, and rescue Flightleaf and Dustfire!” Silence falls on the camp immediately. Everyone but me, Whispermask(the deputy), and Songheart, the medicine cat, is surprised. Who wouldn’t be? We haven’t attacked in moons, and this doesn’t feel good to me. I thought I was at ease with it, but hearing the whole plan… “Darksun, Rushingfoot, Lightfeather, Icysong, and Fireclaw, stay back at camp. If one of you tries to come out and fight, believe me, I’ll know.” No surprises there- the cats that she suspects. “The rest of us, attack all at once. Don’t be sneaky. You know the drill. The warrior code no longer matters. We fight to kill. Hollypool, Mistybird, and Birchleap, you’re on the squad to rescue Flightleaf. Smokeclaw, Mintwhisker, Ripplefur, you go for Dustfire.” Dustfire is my brother, and Willowstar knows I will fight hard for him. “Willowstar?” Brooksong pipes up uncertainly from the crowd, “Wouldn’t this be better as a sneak attack?” “No. We can also take this as a chance to sabotage their supplies, kill Shadow, and find and destroy their plans.” Willowstar says, her eyes grazing the crowd. “If you are a queen, elder, kit, or apprentice, you must stay.” A few apprentices groan, but others look relieved. “Guards, I’d like to speak with you. When I’m done, we attack.” She leaps down, beckoning the guards to follow. “This was your surprise?” Birchleap says, and I can see he’s uncertain. “It’s not the greatest thing in the world,” I admit. “But it did cheer Hollypool up.” “You noticed who the guards were, right?” “Yeah. Darksun, who was the only one there when Dustfire and Flightleaf were captured, Rushingfoot, who’s never really in camp, Lightfeather, who’s quiet as a mouse, Icysong, who tries to never participate in battle, and Fireclaw, who’s so violent...” I trail off, wondering who it is. “I know why- you didn’t need to explain it like I’m stupid,” Birchleap comments with a smirk. “But you are stupid,” I say, laughing, and earning myself a glare. Willowstar comes back out. “Now, we attack.” “Now?” Smokeclaw voices for the shocked crowded of cats. But it did make sense. The spy now had no time to alert the rogues. “Yes, now. There’s no better time then the present, Smokeclaw. Whispermask, you lead the charge. I’ll stay back and be a scout in case they attack while we’re distracted.” Willowstar begins. “No wonder we’re attacking,” Birchleap whispers. “She’s a scout!” “We attack now. Anyone not where they should be will be exiled. Go!” ---- There is no carefully planned voyage to their camp. We all roll in mud and herbs, and strut right in. “Wolfstrike! You take one guard. I’ll get the other. Rivershine, Lightningtail, Breezewhisker, Scorchtalon, take out the rest! Everyone else, do what you can to distract them.” After looking around, with a smirk on her face, Whispermask murmurs, “Charge.” Oh, we charge. There are toms standing outside caves that could only hold one or two cats. It has to be them. We take a guess by scent at which one’s Dustfire. Smokeclaw barrels into one of the guards, leading him away, and Ripplefur distracts the other. Good, because I’m not the greatest fighter.. And then I hear a voice. “Dude! I told you they would save us!” An unfamiliar voice yells. “What are you talking about? This is my Clan!” Dustfire, my Dustfire, responds. There was nothing special about it, but just hearing his voice meant so much. That he was here, he was alive… “DUSTFIRE!” I screamed, and he was there’’. “…Mintwhisker?” he asked. “Yes, you idiot! Now get out!” “I exist too,” the voice grumbled. I felt a prick of annoyance – I didn’t need a stranger to mess this up. “Then get out!” I snapped. As we ran outside, I yelled, “Ripplefur! Smokeclaw! Come on, we need to ''go!” I run hard, out of the camp, past the screams, past the blood. Move, move, breathe. Move, move, breathe. I can smell the rogues on our trail, and run even harder. “FASTER!” Ripplefur screams, and all I can hear is the pounding of paws. “SPLIT UP!” I veer off, with Dustfire and Smokeclaw at my tail. It feels like hours, but we finally reach camp. Dustfire is silent. Songheart runs up to me. “What happened?” “I wish I knew,” I reply swiftly, but she’s already examining Smokeclaw, who’s panting on the ground. “Blackpaw! Cobwebs! Now!” She yells and the medicine cat apprentice runs to get them. Dustfire looks at me. “I’m finally home.” Chapter Four - The Traitor “You have failed.” Shadow’s voice rings throughout the clearing. Her eyes are narrowed at me, and she’s looking fierce. Please. “She said that she would exile me! You should know we can’t risk that!” I retort, and she sends me a glare. Hail, Sand, and the others are staring. “And from what I’ve heard, you weren’t the greatest fighter either!” Her eyes meet mine, and in a cold, harsh whisper, she says, “You may think being a spy grants you supreme rule over others. Well, listen up, it doesn’t. I’m the leader here.” She looks around the clearing, and yowls, “Anyone got a problem with that?” I stand still, absolutely still, and a tinkling little laugh echoes through the clearing. Shadow swerves around to the source, a young trainee(born in the group) named Drift. “Yes?” Shadow marches closer to her. “Uh-um-I-uh-I just thought it was funny.” Drift seems to shrink, and quickly adds, “Because all these cats are trying to bring you down!” I brace myself for what I know is coming. Shadow glares at the she-cat. “Stay still.” Drift freezes. Shadow takes one look around the camp, not caring about the horror on Drift’s family’s faces, and slices a long line running down her cheek. Blood drips out of it, and Drift screams in agony. “And now you know.” Shadow says smoothly, “That you don’t oppose me.” Everyone knows that the trainee didn’t mean to offend her or oppose her, but no-one dares to voice it. “Hail, Sand, and you, spy,” she doesn’t say my name in fear someone will run and tell BranchClan, “Come with me.” She marches into her den, leaving silence in her wake. “Well,” Hail mutters to me as we follow, “Good luck. I hope you don’t die.” “I also hope that was a joke.” I reply, and we shut up (true to nature) as we enter Shadow’s den. “Explain.” Her eyes are on me, and I recoil slightly. “I had to stay where I was. We can’t risk having me exiled, okay?” I retort, “So what, we lost the prisoners? They didn’t do anything, anyways!” “It wasn’t just the prisoners! It was Samantha, it was Flash, it was Thorn, it was Viola!” She hisses, pacing. “Shadow,” Sand begins, “We have cats. It’s just four cats. We don’t need four more cats.” “You don’t understand!” Shadow moans, “When cats die, others stop wanting to take the risk! When cats die, they stop being motivated!” She stops. Looks at the three of us. Takes a deep breath. “We need to eliminate the Anti-Rogues group.” I cock my head, surprised at the change of subject. “That shouldn’t be hard,” Hail quips, and Shadow seems to be in a better mood because Hail isn’t ripped to shreds. “Wait, aren’t they rogues too?” Sand says, “They should be eliminating themselves?” Unbelievably, Shadow laughs. “I’m not too sure on that,” Shadow admits, “I think they just don’t like the violence.” “Oh. Should I just go back?” I ask awkwardly. It scares me that such a violent cat can be so nice sometimes. She nods, and while I leave, she says, “You know those two Anti-Rogues in their camp? Kill them.” Chapter Five - Mistybird My name is Mistybird, and I've taken the role of 'optimistic moral support' because our Clan would collapse if any less people were lighthearted. Now, I'm actually quite confident we will lose (and probably all die), and turning sarcasm and snark into enthusiasm and smiles-- aka not letting your emotions show (which is rule one of moral support: you should take notes) is my specialty. Yes, if my friends found out I'm just hiding my pessimistic side, they'd go ballistic. I have my suspicions from Flightleaf. He knows me too well. Speaking of Flightleaf, in our epic venture to rescue him- which was obviously a poor decision on Willowstar's part. It was pure luck we got out of there. Anyway, due to the she-cats sheer stubbornness and the tom's brute strength, most of the Clan is now attempting to join forces with the Anti-Rogues (clever name..). From my position, sitting just outside of the Warrior's den, I can already see her screaming at Willowstar. "This is important! They're your only means of winning this war!" she shrieks, her yellow eyes alight with fury, and the large tom beside her shifts threateningly. "Samoa..." Flightleaf says, staring her down. This takes a bit of courage as she looks ready to fly into battle and attack at any point in time. Willowstar lets out a loud sigh and looks down. "You're aware this will provoke more battling?" Samoa quickly fires back. "They'll help you be ready. We've taken them before." I can see Willowstar's reluctance, but as of now Samoa has convinced her. "Fine," she mutters, striding up to the High Rock. "Cats of BranchClan! I know it is soon after our last battle, but after some... convincing, I've decided to search for help." Chapter Six - Birchleap